Electric weighing machine



Sept. 29,. 1942. R. s. BONE 2,296,976

ELECTRIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed July so, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 29, 1942. R. s. BONE ELECTRIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed July 50, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 147' 7' RIYEV Sept. 29, 1942. R. s. BONE ELECTRIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1940 4 She'e'cS-SheeI 5 Sept. 29, 1942. R. s. BONE l2,296,976

ELECTRIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 29, 1942 ELECTRIC WEIGHING MACHINE Robert S. Bone, San Benito, Tex., assgnor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application July 30, 1940, Serial No. 348,499

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an automatic weighing machine for weighing loose material delivered thereto in a more or less continuous stream as from a conveyor. 1t is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved weighing machine for this general purpose.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a weighing machine which has a relatively high degree of accuracy.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the weighing machine of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one of the weighing devices of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram for said machine.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the weighing machine I shown therein has a main frame including a base I2 from which pairs of posts I3 and I4 extend upwardly. The frame also includes front corner posts I5, the posts I3, |4, and being connected by side stringers I6, while the upper ends of posts I3 and I5 are connected by side boards I1. The posts I5 are connected at their upper ends by a plate I8 and at a point just below their centers by a frame member I9. The plate I8 and member I9 are connected at their centers by an upright member 20. (See Fig. 4.)

The posts I3 are connected by a transverse beam 24 and the posts I4 by a beam 25. Extending upwardly from the center of the beam 24 is a post 26 which at its upper end is connected by a board 21 with the middle of the plate I6 and the upper end of the upright 20. Also joining the upper ends of the posts I4 is a horizontal member 28. Connecting the beam 25 with the horizontal member 28 are uprights 29.

Supported on the horizontal member 28 is a delivery chute 30 for delivering material such as fresh fruit to the weighing machine I0. This chute has a floor 3| and side boards 32 and the weigher I0 is generally located so that the mouth of the chute 30 is disposed at the discharge end of a conveyor 33 which delivers fruit to the machine- Pivotally mounted in suitable bearings at the center of the discharge end of the chute 30 is a shaft 35 on which is fixed a diverting gate 36. The shaft 35 extends downwardly through the floor 3| and has an actuating arm 31 provided thereon which lies parallel with the gate 36 and has a downwardly extending nger 38. The arm 31 is free to swing within a recess 39 provided in the upper end of the member 28.

Mounted on brackets 45 supported on the corner posts I5 is a delivery board 46 over which fruit is delivered from the machine ID,

The machine I0 is provided with a pair of weighing mechanisms 41 and 48 which are identical in construction. A detailed description will therefore be given only of the mechanism 41 and reference thereafter to any parts of the weighing mechanism 48 will be-made by employing the reference numerals applied to the corresponding parts of mechanism 41 with prime attached.

The mechanism 41 includes a frame bar 56 Xed at its opposite ends to the frame uprights 2D and 26, and a bar 5| attached at its opposite ends to frame posts I3 and I5. Suspended by chains 52 from these bars are yokes 53 and 54 having fixed thereto respectively a long arm 55 and a short arm 56 which lie in the same Vertical plane and are connected together centrally of the mechanism by chain links 51. The arm 55 extends laterally to the side of the machine II) where it pivotally connects to a rod 58 extending upwardly therefrom. Loosely suspended from the yokes 53 and 54 by chains 60 are inclined hopper base frames 6|, An inclined hopper 62 having side walls 63 rigidly unites and is supported by the frames 6I.

The mechanism 41 also includes a plate 61 mounted on the adjacent side board I1, this plate having a fulcrum pin 68 on which is pivotally mounted a weighing beam 69, one end of this beam loosely receiving the upper end of the rod 58. Suspended from the opposite end of the beam 69 is a weight carrying rod 10 which is adapted to receive a weight 1|. Also provided on the plate 61 and beam 69 is a contact switch 12 which is closed by this beam when a sufficient amount of weight has been delivered to the hopper 62 to swing the beam 69 about its fulcrum 68 and lift the Weight 1|.

The beam 69 has a pin 13. Pivoted on the plate 61 is a latch 14. This latch is urged by a spring 15 into a position beneath the pin 13 so as to hold the switch 12 closed until this latch has been removed from this position. Provided on the plate 61 is a stop 16 for limiting the response of the latch 14 to the spring 15,

Pivotally mounted between a central bearing mounted on the upright 28 and an outer bearing 8l provided on the adjacent corner post I5 responsive operating mechanism |00.

in suitable bearings 81 mounted on the adjacent f post I4, upright 29, and cross member 28.y This shaft has a downwardly extendingy arm 80 which is connected by a spring -89 to `the-beamjZli-to constantly urge the rear door 84 `into an upper f position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 and in which it is adapted to interrupt the delivery into the hopper 62 of any materiali'gravitating downwardly over the delivery chute 30. This `door is provided with a cam responsive linky 92 formed of spaced Apieces of strapmaterial 93 between which is mounted a camfollowng roller 94 and a limitd stop A'95. Lying 'between the straps 93 is a xed ro'd '96 which guides the link 92 Aunder operating conditions to 'be described hereinafter.

The machine Vlll also Vincludes an electro- This includes a shaft |'0| which is'journalled in bearings |02 mounted on the 'side stringers YI6 and which is adaptedtobe rotated'through'miter gears |03 and a shaft |04 "journalled in a bearing |05 mounted on thebeam 25. The shaft |04is provided with a larg'e'sprocket wheelV |06 which 'is driven'through a chain |01 by `a smallersprocket |08 mounted on a'countershaft |09. Thiscounter shaft is driven through a pulley l0 and counter pulleys and `-belting ||2 `by an `electric motor ||'3, the latter being`mounted on the base-I2. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) Thelmotor ||3 also has 'a'brake ||4 which is held under Vconstant adjustable tensionby `a screw so as to stop the motor |'3relatively quickly after it has been de-energized.

Fixed o'n the outer ends of the shaft |0| `and extending in opposite directions therefrom, `is a pair of arms and |20 which are connected respectively by links |2 vand |2 with front vdoor actuating pins 83 and 83' of ythe weight mechanisms 41 and 48. The links |2| and |2I control the opening and closing of the front doors '82 and 82 of the respective weighing mechanisms 41 and 48 so that when either of these arms extends rearwardly from the shaft |0| thefront door connected thereto is closed and Ywhen this arm extends forwardly from this shaft this front door is open. As shown in Fig. 1, rthe'doors 82 and 82 open and close alternately. That is,l when one is closed the other is open, and vice versa.

The links |2| and |2| carry pins |22'and |22 respectively. These links operate in a similar manner on the weighing mechanisms adjacent 'thereto respectively. This is illustrated in Fig. 2

from the shaft |0|` and the second of thesecams is shown as extending downwardly Vfrom Lthe shaft, these Vcams being mounted to pointl-in joppo'- site directions from the shaft |0|. These cams are aligned respectively with the cam following rollers 94 and 94 of the links 92 and 92 so that as the shaft |0| rotates these cams engage these rollers and alternately depress the rear doors 84 and 84 from the position in which the door 84 is shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 to the position in which the `door 84' is Yshown in broken lines infFig. 2.

The operating mechanism |00 also includes a Y lhorizontal shaft |30 which is slidably journalled in bearings |3| provided on uprights 29 and Awhichisvadapted to be shifted in these bearings by `a pitman=|32 pivotally connecting this shaft to a -pin |33 on the large sprocket |06. The shaft 4|30 has upwardly extending fingers |35 whichV are connected by contractile springs |39 withthe fingen-380i the actuating arm 31.

The' machine I0 has a counting device |40 mounted on the bearing 8| with an arm 14| which i's-engaged by alpin |42- on tlredoor 82 so as to count the number of weighing voperations performed Aby `the machine.

Operation The machine l0 Ais-Anormally adapted to take care Yof a flow of Yfruit delivered more or less continuously from the-conveyor 33. The operating parts of the -hiachine l0 have two positions, Yand these partsremain disposed in one-of these positions while the mechanism 41 is engaged in weighing material deliver-'ed -to the machine by the conveyor 33, and vlthey remain in the other of these positionswhile the mechanism 48 is-so engaged in weighing material. VIn Fig. 1 they `are shown disposed in the 'latter position, in whichfit is seen that the gate 36 is disposed so as to deflect material delivered to the chute 30 across the depressed rear door84 into the hop- .per'62. -It lis to be noted-at this time that the frontdoor82 Vof the weighing mechanism 48 is in lower or closed position, thus the material delivered to the hopper 62 collects therein until the weight of this is-suflieient to over-balance the weight 1|', rock the balance beam 69', and close theswit'ch 12. For an understanding of the operation here beingdescribed of the mechanism `48, reference is had to Fig. 2 where the elements of the mechanism 41 are indicated by the same numerals as corresponding elements of the mechanism 48, but without the prime attached.

'When the weight`1l is thus lifted, so as to `close theswitch 12', the latch 14 swings in beneath the pin 13 and temporarily vholds the switch 12"`closed. Closing this switch energizes the motor H3 andV causes .this lto rotate the sprocket -wheel |06 landlthe shaft |0I, the latter rotatingin the directionof the arrow in Fig. -2. The first few vdegrees of 'rotation of this shaft fre'es -ther'oller 94 ffrom the-cam |25' and permits the spring 89 (see-Fig. 3) to snap the rear door 84 fromthelowermo'st position in which it is shown in broken-lines in Fig. 2 to its uppermost position in which it -intercepts and prevents the-delivery to the hopper-62 of any of the pieces Vof 'lfruit-gravitating downwardly in the-chute 530. Continued rotation of the shaft 10| causes Jthe a-rrn |20 and -the link I2I to open-the front'- door -82 of the weighing mechanism 348, thus permitting -the material just weighed in the 4mechanism 48 to gravitatefrom fthehopper 62"*out of the machine across the `delivery board 46. As soon as the hopper-62' is `relieved `-of the weight of this material, the

weight 1| over-balances this hopper and tends to drop downwardly and break the switch 12 through which current is flowing to energize the motor I I3. This is prevented by the latch 14', however, until the pin |22' on the link |2| engages this latch and swings it in the same manner as shown in Fig. 2 to permit the weight 1| to drop and break the switch 12'. The location cf the pin |22 is such that when the switch 12 is so broken and the motor I|3 is caused to stop by the friction of the brake II4, the front door 82 is in fully open position.

The response of the motor ||3 to the reception by the weighing mechanism 48 of a full load of material being weighed is thus seen to cause the shaft IUI to rotate 180 degrees. This not only has the results aforementioned upon the weighing mechanism 43, but has opposite results on the weighing mechanism 41. That is, it closes the door 82 and depresses the rear door 84 by the action of the cam |25 against the cam following roller 94. At the same time the shaft I DI is rotating 180 degrees, the sprocket |06 is rotating the same amount. The connection of this sprocket through the link |32 to the shaft |30 thus shifts this shaft tothe right from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3. This operates through the springs |36 and the arm 31 to swing the diverting gate 36 to the opposite side of the chute 30 so as to divert the material delivered to the chute thereafter to the hopper 62 of the weighing mechanism 41.

From this point, the operation of the machine I0 continues in exactly the same manner as just described except that the weighing takes place in the mechanism 41 and the energizing of the motor to eiect the next change in position of the parts of the machine is effected by closing of the switch 12 resulting from the reception in the hopper 62 of a full load of material.

At the conclusion of the resulting operation, the parts of the machine I0 are as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A full cycle of the machine has now been performed and a quantity of material weighed by and delivered from the machine I0 equivalent in weight t0 the weights 1| and 1|.

The total amount of fruit or other material weighed by the machine I0 over a given period of time is obtainable by multiplying the number of cycles registered by the counter I4() by the amount of the weights 1| and 1|.

I claim:

In an automatic fruit weighing machine, the combination of: duplicate weighing hoppers each hopper including an inclined oor and scale mechanism supporting said floor for weighing fruit resting on said floor; side walls for preventing the ow of fruit laterally from said fioors; discharge control gates, each of which is shiftably mounted between open and dosed positions opposite the lower edge of one of said floors; inlet fruit intercepting doors, one of which is disposed along the upper edge of of each of said oors and shiftable between open and closed positions; means forming a fruit runway along which fruit is adapted to be delivered to either of said hoppers across the upper edge of its floors; a shear board pivotally mounted for swinging movement across said runway between two positions, in one of which fruit is sheared into one of said hoppers and in the other of which positions fruit is sheared into the other of said hoppers; and means responsive to the weighing mechanism of either of said hoppers, when said hopper has received a given weight of fruit, to rapidly shift the inlet fruit intercepting door of said hopper into closed position, shift the discharge gate of said hopper into open position, shift the discharge gate of said other hopper to closed position, retract the inlet fruit intercepting door of said other hopper into open position, and swing said shear board to a position which causes fruit traveling along said runway to be deflected to said other hopper.

ROBERT S. BONE. 

